The man with the ID over his chest invited Otis and me to stand at a specific spot for a photo. Otis objected to us standing together, but I took his hand. We came together. Why did he refuse to take a picture of the two of us?I smiled at every camera pointing at me. I told Otis to look in the same direction. That way, our pictures would be perfect. The organizers and reporters were enthusiastic about photographing us.After a while, I thanked and said goodbye to the photographers. They shouted our names, but I ignored them. The pictures they took were more than enough. Besides, Otis was starting to look uncomfortable.The receptionist welcomed us and put pins on our clothes. She escorted us to the table where our names were. I smiled to see Otis's name and mine on the two papers instead of Bruce's.I greeted everyone at the table before sitting down. Otis just nodded his head in a friendly manner. He must not recognize these people. I knew them because Grandpa and Farrell had introdu
[Otis]Seeing Camari greet everyone at our table, I was relieved. She knew them and chatted casually. She remembered to introduce me to them. I was happy to see the men and women being friendly to me. It was uncommon to see.The mobile product launch went smoothly. I didn't like being the center of attention, but I smiled when the CEO mentioned my name. I wasn't the only investor in his company anyway. Thankfully, I chose the right product to invest my money in.It would take some time to find out whether the product was a hit or a failure. However, I was ready for the risks I had to bear. I considered many factors every time I issued a loan or a large amount of funds. My calculations were rarely wrong."We're here," Jasper reported as we arrived near Camari's car."Thank you, Jasper," Camari said.I held her hand before she opened the door. "Are you sure you can drive like this? You're sleepy, Camari," I said worriedly."I'm not sleepy. I have Nicole looking after me." She pecked my c
Jasper knew a lot of things about me. Naturally, he could find all the data from my past easily. There was nothing I could hide from him. On the contrary, I didn't know much about him, but that didn't diminish my trust in him.However, knowing someone wouldn't enable him to read his mind. Right? I didn't understand how he could choose from the many photos that night and guess the one I wanted correctly?“You saved the photo in your work email.” He gave his phone to me.I accepted it and closed my eyes looking at the photo file on the screen. How stupid of me. How could I have put it there? I thought I put it in my personal email. Oh no. Jasper would tease me all he wanted.He smiled meaningfully as he took the phone from me. "The heart can't lie, sir.""Oh, shut up. I'll get on with my work." I walked towards my study.Even though today was Saturday, I needed to check on the state of the stocks and the progress reports of the clients' loans, especially the large ones. I noted two clien
Jasmine picked me up on time. Her car arrived moments after I reached the lobby. We went to the salon and pampered ourselves. All my muscles relaxed after enjoying the massage, skin, and hair treatment. To complete the day, we had them dress us up.“Thank you!” I gave my debit card to the cashier. “I like the result.”“You're welcome, Camari. Come again if you need our services,” she said kindly.Their services were cheaper than the previous beauty parlor when I was Farrell's wife. But the results were not far behind. My skin felt cleaner, my head felt lighter, and the makeup artist was excellent at applying makeup to Jasmine's face and mine.We stopped by a restaurant for dinner. There was still time before the club opened. We ordered food and drinks, then looked around us. The city never died even though it was late. We were grateful to still have a table."The announcement of Farrell and Bella's wedding is over the top." Jasmine rolled her eyes. "The whole city is filled with their
"Deborah?" I called."Oh, my goodness!" Deborah squealed in surprise. She almost dropped the cell phone in her hand."I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." I came closer and helped her calm down."Camari? What are you doing here?" she asked while rubbing her chest.I smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't sleep," I admitted. I sat on the chair across from her and stared at the several phones and tablets on the table. "What are you doing here?"She chuckled. "I come to this place sometimes to enjoy the night, especially when there's cool gossip. I don't want to miss the news. Oh." She glanced at the pan on the side of her gadget. "Are you hungry? I made a lot of pizza.""Thanks." I took one slice. The delicious aroma that I smelled earlier.She took my hand and looked at me with concern. "I didn't say this last Tuesday because Jasmine was there and she needed more comfort. I was sad to watch that press conference. I hope you move on soon. Forget that jerk."I smiled slightly. “Thank you, De
[Otis]I couldn't wait to get back to my apartment, clean up, and wait for Camari to come home. I had to postpone that intention again. The family that hated me was suddenly so concerned about me that they bothered to come to me.Jasper stopped the car in front of a cafe. He turned off the engine and got out of the car first. Once at my side, he opened the door. He walked beside me as we entered the still crowded place.Dorothy smiled and walked in front of me. She chose the corner table that was guarded by her bodyguards. That way, no one could hear our conversation. I sat, sighing before sitting across from her."I told you, I don't want to see you again," I stated."You didn't answer my call, so I had to see you." She opened the menu book casually. "Arnold was gone. You're my only brother. Can't I be a little considerate to you?"I scoffed. "I don't have much time. Just tell me what you want.""Order, then we'll talk," Dorothy commanded. She called out her request to the waiter stan
[Camari]I didn't want to think about him, so I took it to the kitchen and put it on the counter as a decoration. I made myself some coffee and brought it to my desk. Only then did I knock on the CEO's office and see that Otis and Jasper had arrived.After greeting them, I told my boss our work schedule for the day. Just like Mr. Bloom, Otis didn't assign me to prepare drinks for him. I only needed to arrange his schedule, prepare the files he needed to check, and accompany him to certain events.Thus, after delivering his daily schedule, I left his room. I returned to my desk and prepared myself to lead the meeting. It was my third time standing in front of executives and their secretaries. I could do better.At the end of the meeting, Otis announced the company's eleventh anniversary. Although it wasn't a special number, he welcomed any ideas for activities to celebrate the anniversary. He asked them to submit their ideas to me."Seriously," I complained, looking at the second bouque
"Gosh. Do you think Bella said that to Farrell and laughed at me?" I asked.I remembered that my three best friends supported my intention to have a child. Since I trusted them, I took them to a boutique to buy an evening gown. I was reluctant to go there alone because I needed help choosing the right outfit."You'll be happy again, Camari." Jasmine squeezed my hand. "The best way to repay them is to live happily. You lost your job, but you got the same position in a better company. Who knows, you might even get a richer husband.“He disguised himself as a commoner was very strange, too. Why would he do that? Was he afraid you'd be a gold-digger?" She scoffed. “Did he think that all ordinary women are proud to be the wife of a wealthy man?”I raised both my eyebrows. “You're not proud to be the wife of a rich man?” I teased.“Not if he dumps me in the end,” she stated.“Fair enough. The acting was okay.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I believe he genuinely cared for me for the six years we